Humidifier.



J. W. FRIES.

HUMIDIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1909.

Patented Jan. 25, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

some w. FRIES, or wINsroN'sALEM, NORTH. CAROLINA.

HUMIDIFIEB.

Specification f Letters Patent. Patented J an. 25, 19 10:

Application filed August 18, 1909. Serial No. 513,392.

. To all whom it may concern:

l 3e ittknown that I, JOHN W. FRIES, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Winston Salem, county of Forsyth, State of North Carolina, have invented an Improvement in Humidifiers, of which the following 15 a specification.

My invention relates to a humidifier composed of a rapidly revolving disk upon which the liquid is delivered combined with an annular row of obstructing blades arranged about the circumference of the disk, by which the film of liquid driven outward from the revolving disk by centrifugal force is converted into vapor. A humidifier of this kind is shown and described in my application N 0. 352,809, filed September 14, 1908. When such a. humidifier is arranged in a vertical position there is a tendency, owing to the action of gravity, for a heavier film to form on the lower portion of the disk than on the upper part. When the obstructing blades are uniform throughout the circumference they cannot act to produce a uniformvaporization, since more water will be driven out on the lower blades than on the upper ones. If the humidifier is operated to obtain a maximum efliciency from the upper portion, there will be such excess of water in the lower portion as will prevent complete vaporization, and a substantial portion of water will pass of! in drops. If on the other hand, the humidifier is operated to produce a perfectly satisfactoryvaporization at the lower portion, the upper part will not be operating to its full capacity and there will be a loss of efficiency.

It is the object of this invention to obviate this difficulty, and this'I accomplish by making the obstructing blades which are arranged about the periphery of the rotary disk more dense at the lower portion of the circle than at the upper part to compensate for the difference in the amount of water to be taken. In the preferred form this greater density of the obstructing blades is-obtained by means of a set of auxiliary obstructing blades extending between the blades of the annular ring in the lower half or portlon, and arranged more or less transversely to ,the blades of the annular set or ring.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the humidifier, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with part in vertical section; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 12-41: of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a perspective sectional new of the fixe case and obstructing blades.

2 isa fixed circular case open at its front as at 4 and having an inwardly directed gutter 3 at its periphery. The bottom of the gutter 3 terminates in a drainage tube 5 C011? nectingwith a waste pipe 8 through a funnel shaped casting 6 which is formed with vent openings 7 surrounded by an upwardly extending circular flange. The waste water passes from the utter throughthe' pipes 5 and 8 and any alr that may be present escapes through the vents 7. The funnel 6 prevents the escape of unvaporized water.

12 is a bracket to which the case 2 is bolted and by which thehumidifier may be suspended.

11 is a motor carried by the bracket 12 with its shaft extending conical flange 22 the center of the case 2. 9 is a disk within the case 2 having a rearcentrally with a projectlng forwardly from;

wardly extending hub 10 fitting upon the motor shaft and secured thereto by a set screw or other suitable means. This disk has a thin edge and the rear face is fiat, as shown in Fig. 4. Surrounding the disk and closeto it is a ring 15 secured to the inner face of the case by a flange 1 6 and screws 18 and having its outer edge provided with a series of blades 17 arranged close to one another about the periphery of the disk 9. v In practice the ring 15 is preferably formed "of copper spun into shape with the edge slitted and the slit as shown. These blades receive the liquid portions twisted radially'to form the blades thrown ofi of the disk 9 and vaporize it, and 1 I they are directed towardthe opening 4 of the case, so that the vapor may pass freely away.

14 is the pipe for supplylng the llquid (usually water) and is provided witha noz zle 13 on the inside of the case 2 through which the liquid is discharged on the disk 9 near its center.

20 is a fan or blower on the outer end of the motor shaft to produce a current of air over the case-and carry the discharged vapor into the room. 7

The water supplied to the disk 9 quickly spreads outover its surface by centrifugal action and asit travels outward its speed increases and its thickness diminishes, so'

that it is in the form of an attenuated film arou'nd the edge of the disk. This film 1s thrown oif'and converted into vapor by 1m- 2 v v I 947.801

pact with thenfixed 'blades 17. Owing to the action of gravity there is a tendency for the film to have "a greater thicknesson the lower portion of the disk than on the upper portion, and consequently the water is thrown ofi in greater volume at such portions and will not' be vaporized as readily by impact withthe fixed blades 17 as will the water of the upper portion of the film. To overcome this I provide a set of auxiliary fixed blades 17 between the blades 17,

preferably through -the lower half of the set 1.7. These arepreferably formed by twisting the slit edges of a semi-annular strip 15; provided with a flange 16 soldered to the ring, 15. of the blades 17 As shown the ,blades17? are twisted. so as to lie in an -an gular position transversely between the blades 17. This particular angular position is not, however,essential. The water film thrown from the edge of the disk 9 impacts partly on the blades 17 and partly on the blades 17, and owing to thetransverse'fposition of the auxiliary blade '17 the ree passage of unvaporized drops between theblades 17 is prevented. By thus increasing the vaporizing action of the stationary blades about the lower portionof the rotary disk 9gto compensate for the greater volume of the water in the discharged film at such portion, I am able to obtain ap'ractically uniform vaporization through the circumference. The ,degree of humidity produced depends upon the speed of the disk 9 and the amountof water supplied to it, and with a given speed the degree of humidity may be regulated by adjusting the valve 23 in thesupply pipe 14.

\Vhat I claim is as follows:

1. In a humidifier, the combination of a rotatable disk arranged in a vertical plane, means for delivering liquid to the disk, and an annular row of obstructions arranged in a vertical plane about. the circumference of film of liquid driven outward from the disk by centrifugal force is projected and vapoannular row.

the lower than in the upper portion of said 2. In a humidifier, the combination of a rotatable 'diskarranged in a vertical plane, means for delivering liquid to the disk, an annular row of spaced obstructions arranged. in a vertical plane about the circumference of the disk and close to it against which the film of liquid driven outward from the disk by centrifugal force is projected and va )0- rized, and a set of auxiliary obstructions e tween the obstructions of said annular row in the lower portion of said row.

3. In av humidifier, the combination of a rotatable disk arranged in a vertical plane, means for delivering liquidto the disk, an annular row of spaced obstructions arranged in a vertical planeabout the circumference of the disk and close to it againstwhich the film of=li uid driven outward from the disk bylcentri ugal force is projected and va JO- rized, and a set of auxiliary obstructions be tween the obstructions of said annular row in the lower-portion of said raw and extending m. a more or less transverse direc- ,tionbetween saidobstructions of the annular row.

4.. The combination with the case 2 having the annular gutter 3, the rotatable disk 9, and the ring of transverse blades 17 about the peri hery of the disk, of the set of auxiliary' b des 17 between the blades 17 in the lower portion of the ring.

5'. The combinationwith the case 2 having the annular gutter 3, the rotatable disk 9,

the ring 15 secured to the case and having the annular set of blades 17 extending transversely to the edge of the disk 9, of the semi annular strip 15* secured adjacent to the lower half of the ring 15 and having the auxiliary set of blades 17 extending between the adjacent blades 17 of the ring 15'. In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand. the disk and close to it against which the JOHN V. FRIES.

Witnesses: CHas. KREECH, FLORA P. COHEN. 

